Download PDF Washington, D.C.— The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a national civil rights organization, has sent Temple University President Neil Theobald a written request to respond to Holocaust minimization at his university. The Washington, D.C.-based Brandeis Center writes President Theobald in the wake of reports that Temple University Adjunct Professor Alessio Lerro publicly argued that Jews are exaggerating the extent of the Holocaust to obtain political advantages. The Brandeis Center urged Theobold to “make this a teachable moment and to educate the Temple University community about the nature of Holocaust denial, its relationship to other forms of animus, and the way in which it has functioned in the history of anti-Semitism.” Lerro’s comments were reportedly made in the course of unsuccessful efforts to convince members of the Modern Language Association (MLA) to adopt a resolution highly critical of the State of Israel. The MLA debate was marred by anti-Semitic statements made by some supporters of the resolution, which was likened to recent efforts to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel, Israeli institutions, Israeli academics, or corporations that do business in Israel. The Brandeis Center expressed particular concern about the reported response of Temple University spokesperson. LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus and Staff Attorney Danit Sibovits wrote Theobold that one Temple spokesman appeared to support Lerro’s comments, when he reported argued that that “the exercise of academic freedom necessarily results in a vigorous exchange of ideas.” Marcus and Sibovits admonished that “An institution of higher learning should understand the difference between debatable ‘views and opinions’ and classical expressions of bigotry.” They added that debating the Holocaust “is not merely foolish or ignorant, but Holocaust denial is a particular form of bigotry. In order to deny anything as vast and well documented as the Nazi Holocaust, one must assume that the world’s peoples have been victimized by a hoax of extraordinary proportions. Such a hoax could only be perpetrated by an enormously powerful and malevolent group of deeply crooked people who are able to control global media for their own sinister purposes. These outlandish claims perfectly correspond with traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes. This gives credence not merely to absurd misinformation but also to virulent ant-Semitic defamations of precisely the sort that led to the Holocaust in the first place.” Marcus and Sibovits warned that this incident “has important legal ramifications under federal civil rights law,” but pointed out that “it also represents a breach of basic principles of civility, respect, and equal opportunity. While it is vital to maintain academic freedom, which often results in a robust exchange of ideas, it is important to appreciate the difference between an exchange of ideas and classic bigotry.” They added that they are “concerned that professor Lerro’s positions are anti-Semitic in tone and nature and only perpetuate Holocaust denial.” Brandeis Center Letter to Temple University President Neil D. Theobald Temple University Office of the President 2nd Floor, Sullivan Hall 1330 Polett Walk Philadelphia, PA 19122 (215) 204-7405 Via Electronic Mail (president@temple.edu) Dear President Theobald, We are writing you on behalf of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB), an independent civil rights organization, because we have received some troubling reports that adjunct Professor Alessio Lerro argued that Jews are exaggerating the extent of the Holocaust to obtain political advantages. We are concerned that Professor Lerro’s positions are anti-Semitic in tone and nature and only perpetuate Holocaust denial. We want to make sure that your university takes anti-Semitism seriously and effectively responds to this type of rhetoric. The situation has important legal ramifications under federal civil rights law, but it also represents a breach of basic principles of civility, respect, and equal opportunity. While it is vital to maintain academic freedom, which often results in a robust exchange of ideas, it is important to appreciate the difference between an exchange of ideas and classic bigotry. A Temple University spokesman appeared to support Lerro’s comments, arguing that “the exercise of academic freedom necessarily results in a vigorous exchange of ideas,” although the spokesman later added that “the views and opinions of any individual are those of the individual and not those of the university.” An institution of higher learning should understand the difference between debatable “views and opinions” and classical expressions of bigotry. Debating the Holocaust is not merely foolish or ignorant, but Holocaust denial is a particular form of bigotry. In order to deny anything as vast and well documented as the Nazi Holocaust, one must assume that the world’s peoples have been victimized by a hoax of extraordinary proportions. Such a hoax could only be perpetrated by an enormously powerful and malevolent group of deeply crooked people who are able to control global media for their own sinister purposes. These outlandish claims perfectly correspond with traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes. This gives credence not merely to absurd misinformation but also to virulent ant-Semitic defamations of precisely the sort that led to the Holocaust in the first place. We urge you to make this a teachable moment and to educate the Temple University community about the nature of Holocaust denial, its relationship to other forms of animus, and the way in which it has functioned in the history of anti-Semitism. We are available to speak on this topic to your community as a whole and/or to your staff free of charge. It is imperative to understand this issue correctly. We are enclosing, for your use, a copy of the LDB Best Practice Guide to Combating Campus Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israelism, which explains this point and other aspects of proper administrative response to anti-Semitic hate and bias. We would like to discuss these issues with you and may assist you in effectively dealing with this situation. We hope to hear from you soon and will follow up via email as well. Sincerely, Kenneth L. Marcus President & General Counsel Danit L. Sibovits Staff Attorney